What should you pay attention to if you want to purchase a good blood pressure monitor or reliable personal scale?
Blood Pressure Monitor
If you take pills for high blood pressure, it can be useful to measure your blood pressure yourself at home. You don’t have to go to the doctor for check-ups and you get a helping hand to keep taking the pills.
There are three types of electronic blood pressure monitors: for the upper arm, the wrist, and the finger. A blood pressure monitor where the cuff goes over the upper arm is most suitable.
In wrist and finger blood pressure monitors, sensors receive the pressure waves of the blood worse. Furthermore, the measurements are more accurate with meters with an automatic pump than with meters where you have to pump yourself.
Buying tips
- The price of upper arm meters is between €45 and €130.
They are available at department stores, pharmacies and home care stores. - Sometimes members of a home care organization receive a discount.
- Some health insurance policies reimburse the purchase. A note from your doctor recommending the purchase of a blood pressure monitor can help get the money back from the health insurance company.
Tip
Not all upper arm monitors measure blood pressure accurately enough. A list of reliable blood pressure monitors can be found at www.hartstichting.nl (click on ‘news’, then on ‘our views’ and then on ‘blood pressure: measure blood pressure yourself’). Scale
Stepping on the scale regularly is a simple way to monitor your weight. Electronic scales measure more accurately than scales that indicate weight with a pointer. They are available from €16.
Scales with Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) can estimate the percentage of fat, water and muscle. Nice to know, but when it comes to your health, the amount of fat in the abdominal cavity is a better indicator. You measure this at the narrowest part of your waist, between the lower rib and the top of the hip bone. The limit for women is 88 cm, for men 102 cm. Those who are fat are advised to lose weight.
Buying tips
- Try out the scale for a while. Is it big enough to stand up comfortably? The smallest measure only 28 by 28 cm. For example, larger ones are 40 by 32 cm (Inventum 565 PW XXL, €60) and 35 by 35 cm (Bosch PPW1000, €80).
- Some scales have curves. Check whether they are in the way or help to stand stable.
- A scale with large numbers is very easy. The differences are big, so pay attention to this.`
